Submarine panoramic exhibition apparatus.



W. 1E. WINSTON.

SUBMARINEA PANORAMIC EXHIBITION APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 6. 1915.

risk/0g Patented July 18, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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W. E. WINSTON.

SUBNIAIIINE PANQRAIVIIC EXHIBITION APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED AuG.6. 1915.

l ,1 9 1,259. Paten-ted July 18, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. M

,.24 y l .gnw-Moz- WILLIAM E. WINSTON, OF PACIFIC GROVE, CALIFORNIA.

SUBMARINE PANORAIVIIC EXHIBITION APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 18, 1916.

Application led August 6, 1915. Serial No. 44,044. I

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. IViNsToN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pacic Grove, in the county of Monterey and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Submarine Panoramic Exhibition Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The apparatus which is the subject matter of the present application for patent is designed for the purpose of exhibiting moving submarine views under water, the apparatus being constructed and arranged to give the impression of an observation from the window of a submarine vessel as it moves along the bottom of the ocean or other body of water. Y

In order that the invention may be better understood, reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of the apparatus and Fig. 2 a front elevation thereof, partly broken away; Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line 4--4 of Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is a sectional detail on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

In carrying out the invention there is provided a tank 10 constructed lto hold water, and having a glazed sight opening 11 through which the' views exhibited are observed, the pane of glass covering said opening being indicated at 12. Adjacent to the back of the tank are twoupright rollers 13, and in front of each of these rollers is a roller 14. A web 15 of canvas is connected at its ends to the rollers 14, and is adapted to be wound on one of said rollers as it is unwound from the other. On the. web arev painted the objects to be exhibited, the same being continuous views of submarine scenery and life. In practice, the tank is filled with y water to submerge theweb, and if the latter is now put in motion and the views depicted thereon are observed through the glass 12, an illusory effect is produced giving the impression of a view from a submarine vessel traveling along the bed of the ocean or other body of water, the same being highly realistic by reason of movement of the web through the water parallel to and behind the glass. The ends of the-web extend rearward from the rollers 14 and thence pass over the rollers 13, the latter serving to guide the web across the tank.

The following means are provided for operating the rollers A14 to wind and unwind the web 15: Onthe upper end o-f the shaft 16 of each roller 14 is akbevely gear 17 which meshes with a bevel gear 18 on a shaft 19 belted or otherwise connected to a suitable driving means, which latter may be an electric motor 20. The bevel gear 17 has a hub 21 which serves as a brake drum to which an ordinary band brake 22 is applied. The shaft 16 at the upper end of the roller is supported by a plate 23 mounted on top of the tank 10, said plate also carrying a support 24 for the shaft 19. The shaft 16 at the lower end of the roller isstepped at 25 in a plate 26 mounted on the bottom of the tank. j

The rollers '13 are adjustable toward and from the rollers 14 to tighten the web 15 and also to bring it closer to or farther from the glass 12, so that it may be clearly seen through the latter. The following means are provided for effecting this adjustment: Each roller 13 is loosely mounted on a shaft 27 having at its lower end, below the corresponding end of the roller, a pinion 28 positioned between two parallel guide strips 29, one of said strips having rack teeth 30 with which the pinion meshes. It will therefore be seen that the roller 13 is moved bodily Vtoward or from the roller 14 when the shaft 27 is rotated.

The shaft 27 is operated to effect the adjustment ofthe roller 13, by means of a crank handle 31 lfixed to its upper end. This end of the shaft 27 also has a pinion 32 in mesh with a rack 33 mounted on the under side of the plate 23, and the latter hasa slot 34 ,parallel to the rack, through which slot the upper end-'of the shaft, projecting from the corresponding end of the roller, extends.

In order to lock the roller in adjusted position a plate 35 is slidably mounted ony the plate 23 and has a hole through which the upper end of the shaft passes. The plate 35 may be locked to the plate 23 by a screw 36 carried by the latter and passing through a slot 37 in the former. i

The glass 12 does not extend entirely across the front of the tank but stops short of the en'ds thereof so that the rollers 13 and 14 are hidden behind the front wall of the tank. The rollers 14 arealso hidden from view through the glass by plates 38 secured to and extending between the plates 23 and the bottom of the tank. The sliding plates 35 also carry depending plates 39 to conceal the rollers 13, the tank bottom having guides 40 for the lower edges of said plates.

The tank may also be used to exhibit swimming and diving feats, acts of seals, fish and other under-water life.

I claim 1. An exhibition apparatus comprising a water tank having a glazed sight opening, a panoramic web in the tank behind the sight opening and submerged in the water, and means for moving the web.

2. An exhibition apparatus comprising a water tank having a glazed sight opening, a panoramic web in the tank behind the sight opening and submerged in the water, and means for moving the web across the tank through the water parallel to the sight opening.

3. An exhibition apparatus comprising a water tank having a glazed sight opening, a panoramic web in the tank behind the sight opening and submerged in the water, means for moving the web, and means for varying the distance between the web and the sight opening.

4. An exhibition apparatus comprising a water tank having a glazed sight opening, a panoramic web in the tank behind the sight opening and submerged in the water, supports for the web invisible through the sight opening, and means for moving the web.

5. An exhibition apparatus comprising a water tank having a glazed sight opening, a panoramic web in the tank behind the sight opening and submerged in the water, rollers mounted in the tank to which the ends of the web are secured, and means for operating the rollers to wind the web on one roller and unwind the same from the other roller.

6. .An exhibition apparatus comprising a water tank having a glazed sight opening, a panoramic web in the tank behind the sight opening and submerged in the water, rollers mounted in the tank to which the ends of the web are secured, and means for operating the rollers to wind the web on one roller and unwind the same from the other roller, said rollers being invisible through the sight opening.

7. An exhibition apparatus comprising a water tank having'a glazed sight opening, a panoramic web in the tank behind the sight opening and submerged in the water, rollers v mounted in the tank to which the ends of the web are secured, means for operating the rollers to wind the web on one roller and unwind the same from the other roller, and guide rollers for the web adjacent to the winding rollers and adjustable toward and from the winding rollers.

8. An exhibition apparatus comprising a water tank having a glazed sight opening, a panoramic web in the tank behind the sight opening and submerged in the water, rollers mounted in the tank to which the ends of the web are secured, means for operating the rollers to wind the web on one roller and unwind the same from the other roller, guide rollers for the web adjacent to the winding rollers, shafts on which the guide rollers are j ournaled, pinions on the ends of the shafts, racks in mesh with the pinions said racks extending in the direction of the winding rollers, and means for rotating the shafts.

9. An exhibition apparatus comprising a water tank having a glazed sight opening, a panoramic web in the tank behind the sight opening and submerged in the water, rollers mounted in the tank to which the ends of the web are secured, means for operating the rollers to wind the web on one roller and unwind the same from the other roller, guide rollers for the web adjacent to the winding rollers, shafts on which the guide rollers are j ournaled, pinions on the ends of the shafts, racks in mesh with the pinions 'said racks extending in the direction of the winding rollers, means for rotating the shafts, stationary supports having slots parallel to the racks, through which slots the shafts pass, slides mounted on the supports, through which slides the shafts pass, and means for locking the slides to the supports.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM E. VVINSTON. Witnesses:

-A. O. METZ,

E. S. CALANEHEM.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of i"atents Washington, D. C. 

